Wahconah High graduate Emma Parkington is a two-time Rookie of the Week in the Empire 8 as a freshman on the Russell Sage College volleyball team this fall.

Parkington most recently earned the award on Sept. 24 after averaging 1.83 kills per set over 18 sets while hitting to a .310 percentage and recording a team-best 49 assists in four matches for the Gators.

On the year, Parkington leads Sage (5-15) in kills (132), assists (189) and hitting percentage (.224). She also has 20 service aces.

And she is only one of a number of 2018 Berkshire County high school graduates making impacts on their collegiate volleyball teams this season.

At Anna Maria College, freshman Taylor Hoffstedt (Mount Greylock) has 38 kills, 58 digs and five assists. She is third on the team in kills for the AMCats, who are 3-15 on the season.

Smith College frosh Anna Lynch (Lenox) is third on her team in digs (130) after playing in just 31 of the squad’s 55 sets. Her average of 4.19 digs per set is best on the Pioneers (3-14), who have won two of their last three.

Wahconah grad Jessica Warren has appeared in all 15 matches this fall at Bay Path University, which is 6-9 so far. Warren has 71 digs and 14 service aces in her first collegiate campaign.

And then there is the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, where no fewer than five local grads dot the volleyball roster, including four 2018 high school graduates.

The Trailblazers’ squad includes four Wahconah graduates and one Lee High alumna, Ahna Schlaefer.

Wahconah’s Sara LaFreniere, the lone local upperclassmen on the MCLA team, is a junior leading the Trailblazers in kills (131).

Cornwell-L’Hote is fourth on the Trailblazers (6-12) in kills with 58. Benlien is seventh in digs with 64.

Schlaefer has MCLA’s best hitting percentage (.193) with 73 kills in 61 sets.

Meanwhile, in outdoor sports … Wahconah continues to be well represented on the soccer pitch at Westfield State. Juniors Gianna Monchecchi and Jocelyn Hill and sophomore Ashley Zink have helped the Owls to a 6-3-1 overall record and a 3-1 mark in the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference. Moncecchi has one goal in nine games, including eight starts. Zink has started nine times and appeared in all 10 games in the back for the Owls.

Their Westfield State teammate and Lee High graduate Brianna Hawley has appeared in four games in goal, starting twice between the pipes. She has a 2-0 record and .900 save percentage playing behind senior Natalia Falcone.

Speaking of members of Lee’s Class of 2018, Shannon Finnegan, a freshman at American International College, saw her first action on the collegiate soccer pitch on Saturday, coming off the bench in a 4-0 loss to Long Island University C.W. Post. AIC is 6-6 going into Wednesday’s game at Pace University.

Pittsfield High alumna Amanda Wright is second on her Springfield College team in scoring this fall with six goals an an assist. The assist came on the game-winning goal late last month against Mount Holyoke. The Pride (9-1-1) has a NEWMAC game at Babson on Tuesday.

Sam Dils (Mount Greylock), a freshman at Hamilton College, had the game-winning goal in a 1-0 NESCAC win at Wesleyan on Sept. 29. His second career goal came on a one-timer in overtime for the Continentals, who are 6-5 going into Saturday’s home game against Bowdoin.

Jake Benzinger (Mount Greylock) continues to start at left tackle for Wake Forest, which is averaging 32.3 points per game this season. The Demon Deacons (3-3) took one on the chin against fourth-ranked Clemson on Saturday but have a week off to get ready for their next date in the rugged ACC: at Florida State on Oct. 20.

If you know an area high school graduate who should be included in an upcoming edition of College Collage, please contact sports@iBerkshires.com.

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